Mine
by Twilight DeLucca
Summary: He saved her because she interested him. She conquered his world because she wanted to. They fell in love because they cared.
1. Battered but not Dead

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter one: Battered but not Dead

Characters introduced: Itachi, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Genma, Shino, and Shisui

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

She looked pathetic lying in the snow battered and bloody. Blood matted pink hair shone slightly at him and he found he couldn't just leave her. "Kunoichi how did you come to be in this condition?" He asked as he knelt next to her. "I was ambushed on my way back from Lightning. I got my ass beaten and left for dead." The pinkette coughed. "What's your name?" The dark haired man asked. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura." The pink haired female coughed again. "Do you know who I am?" The dark haired man asked. "Yes. You're Itachi. Sasuke's brother. He told me about you." Sakura replied. "Very good. Are you afraid now?" Itachi asked. "No. You're not going to hurt me. If you were, you would have already. You're going to take me home." Sakura replied. "That's correct. I'm here to take you home. My team is waiting nearby and since you are in no condition to fight should you be attacked again, there is safety in numbers." Itachi said. Sakura nodded and bit back a moan of pain as Itachi picked her up.

"We shouldn't have let her go alone! She should have been back by now!" A blond with blue eyes and whiskers on his cheeks fretted. "Sakura is a big girl now. She can take care of herself dobe." A raven haired, black eyed man retorted. "Like you're not worried too teme." The blond sneered. The other raven haired man with them just stared. "You two fight like you're married." He said with a fake smile. "Fuck you Sai." The other raven haired man snarled. "If only you could Sasuke." Sai retorted with a grin.

Itachi carried Sakura through the gates of Konoha and headed toward the hospital. "Please don't take me there Itachi-san. I don't want to have to explain to the nurses why I look like this. Is there somewhere more private you can take me until I can heal myself?" Sakura asked. "Of course. Do you mind the Uchiha compound?" Itachi asked. "No. I like your house. Your mom and dad are nice to me." Sakura replied. Itachi nodded and turned to his teammates. "Who will deliver the report?" He asked. "I will. Don't worry Itachi." Shiranui Genma replied. Itachi nodded and departed with Sakura in his arms. Genma, Uchiha Shisui, and his last partner Aburame Shino headed to the Hokage tower to deliver the report for their missing captain.


	2. Home

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter two: Home

Characters introduced: Mikoto and Fugaku

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sasuke blinked as he felt his brother's chakra signature enter the house with Sakura's. "Welcome home brother." He greeted uncertainly. "Hn thank you Sasuke. It's good to be home." Itachi replied. Sakura stared silently at her friend and brother in arms. "How was your mission Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "It was fine until I got a beat-down that still shocks the hell out of me." Sakura replied truthfully. Sasuke snorted and Sakura smiled. Itachi carried Sakura toward his room with a silent smirk toward his brother and Sasuke went to help his mother with dinner.

Sakura slept peacefully in his bed and Itachi watched her because for some odd reason she fascinated him with her fierce spirit and will to live. She was sleeping to regain her chakra and it mesmerized him how she glowed lightly in her sleep as her chakra worked to replenish itself and heal her at the same time. Itachi reached out ever so slowly and touched her face with the tips of his first two fingers.

Sakura POV  
I felt his calloused fingers touch my skin as I slept hoping to regain my chakra and oddly enough instead of making me wake up and attack, I found myself relaxing more and turning my head into his touch. It was nice to have someone else touching me for the mere pleasure of touching me. Or for curiosity. One could never tell with men like Itachi-san. I couldn't help myself. I started to purr very softly. I wondered if Itachi could hear me.

Itachi POV  
Her skin is very soft unlike the skin of her hands. I knew it was for the same reason mine is so rough. She is a ninja. A trained killer. A tool for her village the same as myself. But I've never known a female ninja with such smooth skin. I couldn't help myself when she turned her face into my fingers, I let my whole hand cup her cheek. A soft purring noise met my ears and I smiled in the dark of my room. Sakura is very much like a kitten in many ways. She may be fierce and vicious and powerful but in moments like these, she is soft and pretty. I like that. But only in her. Other kunoichi disgust me with their double sided personalities. Sasuke might be angry if he found out I liked Sakura's personality and wished to perhaps pursue a serious relationship with her permission. I couldn't find it in myself to care about Sasuke's feelings on the matter though. She would be mine if she would allow it and I would be hers. Again if she allowed it. I realized I have never wanted something like this so much.

Normal POV  
Itachi continued to watch Sakura sleep and she continued to nuzzle his hand. Slowly, emerald eyes opened and a sleepy smile lit Sakura's face up. "Surely you're tired and uncomfortable sitting in that chair while I hog your bed." She said. "Not particularly. You make it worth the slight pain." Itachi replied. "Come lay with me Itachi-san. You look as tired as I feel." Sakura invited. "We'll miss dinner." Itachi replied. Sakura shrugged. "So? Your mother will most likely save us a plate if Sasuke chooses to inform her that we're here." She said after she yawned. Itachi smiled slightly and obediently joined the pinkette in his bed. His shoes were with hers in the foyer of the house so he didn't have to worry about getting dirty snow in his bed. When Itachi was situated in bed, Sakura immediately snuggled up to him and closed her eyes. "Despite Sasuke's rude nickname for you, I find you to be very warm indeed Itachi-san." She said. "Please drop the formalities Sakura. We are not merely acquaintances any longer. You have practically grown up in this house what with Sasuke being on your team." Itachi yawned. Sakura laughed quietly. "Of course. I just thought you'd appreciate the respect." She replied. "I did when we were basically strangers. Now we are not strangers and so I don't like you being so distant with me." Itachi said. "My apologies. I will not refer to you as Itachi-san again." Sakura replied. "Thank you." Itachi said.

Sasuke opened Itachi's door silently and blinked as he realized his brother had fallen asleep with his only female teammate. His dark eyes darkened a little more in jealousy but he didn't dare disturb them. Instead, Sasuke silently shut the door and went downstairs to inform his mother that Itachi and Sakura were asleep and didn't want to be disturbed. "Oh that's fine dear. I'll just put their plates to warm. Thank you for telling me." Uchiha Mikoto replied. Sasuke nodded and sat down to dinner despite the fact that he didn't want his teammate in bed with his brother. It wasn't natural. She should be with him, not Itachi. But Sakura was a grown woman and could do what she wanted. Even if he, Sasuke, didn't like it. So he sucked it up and pretended that he wasn't angry. Besides, Itachi had looked peaceful for the first time since he could remember. The lines of stress that were always present on his face were nearly gone in the presence of his teammate and Sasuke couldn't deny his brother that little happiness. It wasn't in him to do so. As much as he liked Sakura, he loved Itachi more.

Sakura yawned as she trudged downstairs for dinner that was in the oven warming. She could smell it. "Sakura. Can we talk?" Sasuke asked in a mellow tone. "Sure Sasuke-kun." Sakura replied as she brought both plates out. "Itachi's joining us?" Sasuke asked. "Not just yet but he will be soon enough. He's making the bed." Sakura replied. "Oh. Well I just wanted to talk to you about Itachi." Sasuke said. "Look I don't know what you think is going on between us but you're probably wrong. Itachi saved my life. I would have died in the snow if he hadn't found me." Sakura replied calmly. Sasuke just didn't inspire her demonic temper like Naruto did it would seem. "I wasn't going to discourage you because Itachi is happy with you. I just want you to know that I support you both if, if you two wanted to start something and that if he hurts you or vice versa, my retribution will be swift and painful." Sasuke said. Sakura grinned. "Got it Sasuke-kun." She replied cheerfully. Sasuke smirked back as Itachi graced them with his presence. Sakura was still smiling as she presented him with his plate. Sasuke and Sakura could always talk about things she couldn't, wouldn't talk to anyone else about. "Did I miss something?" Itachi asked. "No. Just a friendly conversation between two close friends." Sakura and Sasuke replied in unison. The pinkette dug into her food and Itachi let the matter go. "So aniki where will you be taking Sakura-chan on your first date?" Sasuke asked casually. "I was thinking about taking her to the Uchiha family tempura shop. I am not remiss in assuming you like tempura am I Sakura?" Itachi replied. "No. I like tempura very much indeed." Sakura agreed. Sasuke nodded. "Well chosen food but perhaps the Uchiha tempura shop is too...confrontational?" He said uncertainly. "Not at all Sasuke. I'm not afraid of your twisted family, you, Itachi, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Shisui notwithstanding." Sakura replied. "I want those fools to see that I have something special and unique. I want them to dare to oppose me. I dare them to oppose my choice." Itachi agreed in a carefully neutral voice. Sasuke nodded. "Then welcome to the family Sakura-chan. When Itachi decides, it's final." He said. Sakura laughed. "I figured as much." She replied. The trio enjoyed their time together, Sasuke and Itachi regaling Sakura with tales of their youth and Sakura returning the favor of her and Sasuke's adventures as part of Team 7.

Mikoto and Fugaku watched the three speak with a fondness about them. Mikoto had a grin that should hurt her face while Fugaku didn't look half as stern as usual as they listened to the trio talk about their respective lives. "And Naruto got really mad right? And then Sasuke-kun goes..." Sakura trailed off. "Whatcha gonna do about it...dobe?" Sasuke chimed in. "And you know what he did? Naruto let out a battle cry that scattered birds for miles and tackled Sasuke-kun off the bridge and into the river below." Sakura continued flawlessly. "We were nursing colds and a broken arm apiece for a month." Sasuke finished. Itachi laughed lowly, startling his parents. "I imagine it was a priceless scene to behold." He said. "It was." Sasuke agreed, a grin on his face. Sakura nodded.

"Sasuke-kun didn't think so at the time though. He was really mad." She laughed as well. "Yeah and I got even more angry when Naruto healed up after a few days." Sasuke agreed. "He sulked for the rest of his recovery until I took pity and healed him up." Sakura giggled. "Hey remember that time when he met Haku in the woods?" Sasuke asked evilly. Sakura laughed heartily. "Haku?" Itachi was curious. "Our first B-ranked mission as a team wasn't recent you know. When we were still young Genin, a bridge builder hired us to escort him home. It ended up being a C-ranked mission and we aced it but that's not the fun part of the story." Sasuke began. Sakura and Sasuke shared a sober look before grinning and going on with the story. "Naruto had passed out in the woods from training and Haku found him. To be fair he was wearing a feminine looking yukata." Sakura snickered. "He helped Naruto out and the dobe kept calling Haku sis." Sasuke continued as Sakura got her snickers under control. "And Haku turned to him with a beautiful smile and calmly informs Naruto that he is in fact a boy." Sakura laughed. "And then Naruto, and I heard this from the house, screams in such a high-pitched voice that we both thought that he was the girl." Sasuke laughed too. "What did he say?" Itachi asked, drawn into the story. "WHAT?!" Sakura replied as she and Sasuke doubled over laughing. "Naruto came back to the house that night looking like he'd just woken up from the strangest dream ever and told us about looking like he'd spotted Lee naked or something." Sasuke choked out through the laughter. Sakura nodded as she gasped and laughed at the same time. "And then he just face-planted right into Sasuke-kun's lap." She cried. Sasuke made a face. "Yeah. It wasn't pretty." He agreed. The two calmed down and Itachi laughed too. "It seems you three are an odd team that attracts odd things." He said. Sakura nodded. "Yeah it's true." She agreed.

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Here's Chapter Two. I forgot to add the AN to the first chapter. R&R.


	3. Mission Report and a Date?

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter three: Mission Report and A Date?

Characters introduced: Tsunade, Kakashi

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sakura woke up at the table between Itachi and Sasuke. The pinkette sent chakra down her body to soothe her sore back and would do the same for her two boys when they woke up. 'We must have fallen asleep talking and eating.' Sakura thought with a fond smile. Sasuke woke up with a groan. "My back is telling me never do this again." He said. Sakura soothed his sore back with her chakra and the younger ravenette smile thankfully. Itachi was treated to the same healing and Sakura cheerfully cooked breakfast for them.

"Where were you Sakura-chan?!" Uzumaki Naruto demanded when the trio made an appearance at the ramen stand for a late breakfast/early lunch. "I was at Sasuke-kun's house." Sakura replied around a yawn. "Really?" Naruto asked dubiously. "Really dobe. She spent the night there because she was depleted of nearly all her chakra." Sasuke replied imperiously. Sakura and Itachi both snorted softly as they took a seat. Sasuke sat on Sakura's other side so that Naruto was forced to sit beside himself or his brother.

Naruto beamed when Hinata came into the ramen shop and the midnight haired girl blushed slightly. "G-good morning." She said softly. "Good morning Hina-chan! Would you like to eat with me, Sakura-chan, and the two bastards?" Naruto asked. Hinata giggled softly. "I w-would like t-that." She replied. Though Hinata had grown in leaps and bounds since Naruto kindly took the giant stick out of Neji's ass when they were still young Genin, sometimes she would stutter when caught off guard. The lavender eyed woman took a seat next to her boyfriend and they all ordered various flavors of ramen.

"So will you be delivering the mission report to Hokage-sama this morning?" Sasuke asked. "Yeah. I was supposed to last night but obviously I was in no condition to do so." Sakura nodded as she took a bite of her ramen. "Yeah. Well...Aniki and I will go with you since he wants to make sure his team did the same and I have to submit one as well." Sasuke said. "Ok." Sakura replied. "Really? You're not going to protest that you don't need to be escorted like some weakling?" Sasuke blinked. Sakura laughed. "Well for one, you're not escorting me. You're keeping me company. Two, we all know I'm not weak. And three, Tsunade-sama would just die if she saw me entering the building with not one but two Uchiha on my arm so to speak." She replied. Itachi smirked from her other side and Sasuke sighed. "The ultimate prizes." He groaned. "Well two of several I'm afraid. It would really make her day if I had Neji too but you two are more than enough to get the ball rolling so to speak." Sakura laughed. "Sometimes I hate you." Sasuke said. "I know. Sometimes I hate you too." Sakura replied fondly.

Tsunade looked up as her prized student came in her office with both Uchiha brothers situated on either side of her like bodyguards. The blonde then looked at her sake and wondered if perhaps Shizune poisoned it to teach her a lesson. "Good morning Tsunade-shishou." Sakura beamed. "Good morning Sakura-chan. What brings you here so early?" Tsunade asked. "Mission report. I couldn't deliver it last night because I was injured." Sakura replied. Tsunade nodded, a faint frown marring her skin. "And you trust these two to hear it?" She asked. "I do." Sakura replied. "Very well. Proceed with the verbal report. I'll take your written report later today." Tsunade said. "The mission was successful. I assassinated the lord like ordered and retrieved all the Forbidden Jutsu scrolls he had his men steal from Konoha and Suna. You may send word to Kazekage-sama at your earliest convenience." Sakura replied. "And your injuries?" Tsunade asked. "I was ambushed by a cell of Stone Anbu. They took my by surprise and while I was able to defeat them, I was seriously injured as a result." Sakura replied. "You seem to have healed yourself." Tsunade said. "Yes Tsunade-shishou. Itachi was nice enough to bring me home and into his care until I had replenished enough chakra to heal myself." Sakura agreed. Tsunade regarded the Uchiha who stared back impassively, Sharingan absent. "Thank you for your kindness Itachi-san." She finally said. "It was my pleasure." Itachi replied.

"Sakura?" Itachi caught her attention as the pinkette was preparing to depart for the hospital. "Yes?" Sakura turned back to the two Uchiha brothers. "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?" Itachi asked. "Yeah. My shift ends at seven so I'll see you at eight." Sakura beamed. "I will arrive promptly at eight o'clock then." Itachi said. Sakura nodded and practically skipped off to work.

Atop the roof of the Hokage Tower, a lone dark eye watched before the owner leapt down to walk with one of his students. "Sasuke. Itachi-san." He greeted. "Yo Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke greeted. "Kakashi-san." Itachi nodded. "Be careful with Sakura Itachi-san. If you mistreat her, you'll regret it." Kakashi warned. Sasuke turned wide eyes to his brother who had a feral smirk on his lips. "Of course. I understand you're speaking from experience. From Sasuke's Genin days." Itachi replied calmly. Sasuke's wide eyes turned back to his former sensei who had a glare on his face. "Have a nice day boys." Kakashi snapped before disappearing. "Wow." Sasuke whistled. 'Wait until I tell Sakura-chan.' He thought.

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Here's Chapter four. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	4. The Date

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter four: The Date

Characters introduced: Hikari (Uchiha OC), Hanaka (Uchiha OC), Anaka (Uchiha OC), and Misuzu (Uchiha OC)

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sasuke dove through Sakura's window just as the pinkette was coming out of the shower to get ready for her date with Itachi "What the fuck Sasuke?!" Sakura shrieked as she kicked the Uchiha in the shin viciously.

"Ow! Is that any way to treat the man who brings you some amazingly juicy gossip?!" Sasuke yelled back. Sakura immediately perked up. "Tell me while I get dressed." She commanded. Sasuke sighed and took a seat. While Sakura got dressed, Sasuke relayed the whole confrontation between Itachi and Kakashi. "Really? That's the best thing Kakashi-sensei could come up with?" Sakura snorted as she pulled a emerald top on that was tight around the chest but loose and flowing at the bottom. "Yeah. A glare and that was it. Itachi-nii is vicious with his words." Sasuke replied. "Hmm. Kakashi must be getting old." Sakura said as she pulled on a pair of black pants. "What do you think?" She asked. "Looks good. Itachi-nii will certainly appreciate the view." Sasuke replied. "Oh shut up." Sakura blushed. The pinkette did her hair and make-up and added a little jewelry before the bell rang. "He's certainly punctual." Sakura laughed. "Duh." Sasuke replied.

"You look very lovely Sakura-chan." Itachi said. "Thank you. You look dashing yourself Itachi." Sakura replied. The pair left and Sasuke locked her house up before departing for his own house to tell his mother why her oldest son would be absent for dinner. He had a feeling his mother would be in raptures.

"What's this place?" Sakura asked. "The Uchiha tempura shop known as Sekimen Bara." Itachi replied. "Wow. It looks beautiful on the outside." Sakura said. "It's just as beautiful on the inside. However before we enter, I would like to bring to your attention that I have three distant cousins in this restaurant and two of them think they own my affections. They will most likely treat you like you are some sort of moron or airhead. Please don't take personal offense. They are fools." Itachi replied. Sakura smiled. "Ok." She replied.

Itachi and Sakura were seated in a private room so that they could talk in peace. "Thank you Aunt Misuzu." Itachi bowed his head respectfully. Uchiha Misuzu grinned. "It's not often you bring such a beautiful lady to this place Itachi-chan. It's a pleasure to meet you miss. I hope you and Itachi-chan make a good match." She replied. Sakura laughed and bowed. "Thank you Uchiha-san." She replied. "Call me Misuzu. Uchiha-san is reserved for idiots and foreigners." Misuzu said. "Hai Misuzu-san." Sakura said. "Eh close enough for now. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you a lot more and you'll eventually call me Aunt Misuzu too. I'm rarely wrong so take heed of my words." Misuzu said. Sakura grinned. "Perhaps." Sakura allowed. The bright red haired woman left them alone and Sakura smiled. "Is she the only Uchiha without the signature dark hair and eyes?" She asked. "Not exactly, no." Itachi replied.

"Hello Itachi-kun." A red haired, dark eyed girl said sweetly as she came in with tea for the couple. "Hello Anaka. How are you and your sisters?" Itachi asked politely. "Fine. Hanaka and Hikari still think you will marry one of them some day." Anaka replied. "Anaka-chan this is my date Sakura. Sakura-chan this is the only one of Aunt Misuzu's daughters I can stand. Uchiha Anaka. She's two years my senior and while she is fully capable of being a shinobi, she chose the peaceful life. A choice I fully supported for her because she's much too sweet to be tainted by our line of work." Itachi said. "It's nice to meet you Anaka-san." Sakura bowed slightly from her seated position. "You too Sakura-san. I have faith that you'll be good for our Itachi-kun. My sisters never stood a chance anyway." Anaka bowed back.

Sakura and Itachi placed their orders with Anaka who gracefully exited their room and left the two to their talk. A pair of red-streaked, dark haired, bright purple eyed girls came in with their food and glared at the pinkette. "Another whore Itachi-sama?" The first one sneered. "She is no prostitute Hikari. This is the Godaime Hokage's prized apprentice, third member of Team 7, and Anbu kunoichi Haruno Sakura." Itachi replied calmly. Sakura didn't bat an eyelash at the insult toward her purity. She just smiled slightly and ignored the twins. "Is she mute? We heard different from Sasuke-sama." The second one asked snootily. "No she isn't mute. She just doesn't talk to fools." Itachi replied. Hikari slammed Sakura's plate down in front of her and nearly upended the whole dish in her lap. The second sister gently set Itachi's plate in front of him and both glared hatefully at Sakura one last time before departing.

"You were right. They're idiots." Sakura sniffed disdainfully as she thanked Itachi for the food and started eating. Itachi snorted and started eating as well. The two ate silently for a few moments before Itachi set his chopsticks down. "So what made you ask from special training from Tsunade-sama?" He asked. "Well Sasuke-kun got training from Kakashi-sensei, Naruto went off with Jiraya-sama, and I was left alone. So I wouldn't be left out, I charged into her office and actually demanded she teach me." Sakura replied. "How brave of you." Itachi smirked. "Are you kidding? I was terrified she'd punch me to Suna or something. I was surprised when she said yes." Sakura laughed.

Itachi walked Sakura to her door and the pinkette smiled. "Would you like some tea?" She asked. "That would be nice thank you." Itachi replied. Sakura unlocked her door and disabled her traps before inviting the older Uchiha inside. She headed into the kitchen and started boiling water. "So has Sasuke-kun told you about how abysmally I acted as a kid?" Sakura asked. "How you stalked him? Oh yes. And at first I was worried you had an unhealthy habit of stalking Uchiha but you haven't seemed to display that tendency as of late so I am inclined to think I was wrong." Itachi replied. Sakura stared for a moment then laughed. "I guess you would have thought that from the way I actually did stalk Sasuke-kun when we were younger. I was mortified when I looked back on my behavior and marveled that I lived this long." She said. Itachi chuckled as Sakura poured two mugs of tea and they sat down at the island to continue talking.

* * *

Here's Chapter four. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	5. I Could Fall in Love

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows. Yeah this and the next chapter will probably be filler chapters.

Chapter five: I Could Fall In Love

Characters introduced: Yamanaka Ino, Karina (OC), Karuna (OC)

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Mikoto smiled cheerfully when Itachi came through the door at eight that morning. "Did you have a good time Itachi?" She asked. Itachi paused for a moment as he slipped his shoes off. "Yes I did Mother. As a matter of fact I will be seeing Sakura again on Friday night." He replied in a mellow voice. Sasuke paused in the doorway. "You didn't already screw my teammate did you?" He asked. "No. We drank tea and talked all night. Don't be crass little brother." Itachi replied disdainfully. Sasuke laughed. "I was just checking. Sakura-chan isn't ready to pop out millions of Uchiha babies just yet Aniki. She's still got a promising ninja career ahead of her." He teased. Itachi resisted the urge to flip his brother the middle finger.

"So how was it Forehead?" Yamanaka Ino demanded. "It was wonderful Pig. We talked and laughed and talked some more. I could fall in love right now." Sakura replied dreamily. "Sasuke and Naruto haven't tried to chase him away?" Ino asked in shock. "No. Sasuke-kun fully supports us being together. Naruto I think is in shock." Sakura replied. "I don't think Naruto really cares." Ino snorted. Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. We're meeting again Friday night for a date." She giggled. "Ooh Forehead you _have_ to tell me all about it when you get up Saturday. If you don't, I'll _never_ forgive you." Ino cried. "I will! I will! I promise." Sakura laughed. "You better." Ino laughed as well. The blonde sighed. "I have to get back to work Sakura. I'll see you Saturday." Ino said. "Ok. Bye Ino." Sakura waved. "Bye." Ino waved back.

Sakura hummed cheerfully to herself as she completed three shifts at the hospital. "You're in a good mood Sakura-sempai." A young nurse giggled. "Yes I am. I had a wonderful date last night and I'm going to have another one Friday. Oh and Karina could you check in on the patient in 6215? He's notorious for scaring nurses or sneaking out to train and half-kill himself, thus ending up in here once more." Sakura asked. "Sure thing Sakura-sempai." Karina giggled. The purple haired nurse left and Sakura sighed happily. "This is a very good day." She said. "Sakura-sama! She did it again!" Another nurse yelled. Sakura sighed. "It was a good day." She muttered as she headed toward the room in question.

"Karuna-san that's not how we deal with difficult patients. Unhand Hyuuga Neji at once." Sakura ordered. The bright orange haired girl sighed but obeyed. "Is this your newest tactic Haruno? To send your thugs to kill me in my sleep?" Neji snapped. "Oh please Hyuuga. I don't need a nurse with bad bedside manners to defeat you in Go. Besides, I'm almost close to defeating you anyway. Get back in the bed so I can heal the damage Karuna-san inflicted upon you." Sakura retorted. "Whatever. Your weak strategy won't save you." Neji said. "Hey Neji? Remember that time we sparred and you called me a weak opponent?" Sakura asked sweetly. Neji paled and quietly got back into bed. "Thank you." Sakura chirped.

"How was work Sakura-chan?" Sasuke asked as he climbed through her window with a take-out bag from Misuzu's restaurant. "Is that tempura from Misuzu-san?" Sakura asked. "Yeah. I came to bribe you with it." Sasuke replied. "Ask and ye shall receive. When I get my tempura." Sakura said. Sasuke handed her the bag and sat down. "So I want to ask a girl out." Sasuke began. "Have you had The Talk yet Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked between bites. "Sex? Yeah I know what it is." Sasuke replied. Sakura sighed and set the take-out container down. "Not that talk. The Talk. Obviously not if you're confused." She said. "The Talk?" Sasuke looked apprehensive. "What kind of girl is she?" Sakura asked. "Uh...She's kind of like..." Sasuke trailed off. "Karina or Karuna?" Sakura asked. "Karina. Definitely Karina. I hate Karuna." Sasuke replied. "Ok. Well she's like Hinata and Hanabi rolled into one. She detests tempura so the Uchiha family restaurant is out unless they serve something other than tempura. I would suggest taking her to Solara. Karina loves sushi fro Solara. Also they have the only type of tea she drinks: White Chai. Karina doesn't drink green tea and she only drinks oolong when there isn't any Jasmine." Sakura began. Sasuke nodded and sighed. "Man this is tougher than Itachi makes it look." He said. "Of course it is idiot. If she was easy to score, she'd be a whore." Sakura replied tartly. "What's her favorite flower?" Sasuke asked. "Variegated Tulips. Orange, red, and yellow in shade. Ino has some that have all three colors blended in. Those are her ultimate favorite. Also if you can't get them, she likes midnight blue carnations." Sakura replied. "Ino's you say?" Sasuke's voice shot up a few octaves. "Wow. Either you're terrified of the idea of dating or you really like this girl." Sakura said. "I really really like her." Sasuke replied.

Sakura stared at Sasuke's closet in silent horror. "These are training and shinobi clothes. Don't you have formal wear that isn't of the yukata variety?" She asked faintly. "Uh no. Clan etiquette and all that stupid shit." Sasuke replied. "Good gods. Come with me." Sakura grunted. She led the younger Uchiha to the shopping district armed with Mikoto's credit card. "How did you get my mom's credit card?" Sasuke asked. "I told her it was a matter of social life or death for her favorite son. She thought I meant Itachi but then I told her about Karina and she shoved it at me. Along with your father's, Itachi's, yours, and Shisui's. So I practically own the Uchiha fortune right this second." Sakura replied. "Intoxicating isn't it?" Sasuke asked. "Oh yes. It feels pretty awesome to be temporarily rich." Sakura replied with a grin. The two went into a formal wear store and Sakura's nose wrinkled in distaste. "No. Next store." She said. "Why?" Sasuke asked. "Hideous." Sakura replied. She led Sasuke into the second store and started browsing. "Ok you need something dressy but not too dressy. Hmm...These pants in black, dark blue, and tan. Try them. Also these shirts in midnight blue, emerald green, and dark red. Go." Sakura ordered. Sasuke obeyed and tried on the midnight blue shirt with the black pants. "Hmm. Too dark. Try the blue with the tan. The emerald should fit the dark blue and the red will go with the black." Sakura said. "Ok." Sasuke obeyed. He came back out in the various pairings and the pinkette beamed. "Get them. They all look fabulous." She ordered. The pink haired kunoichi got him a pair of dress shoes and three ties in black, dark blue, and a cream color. Then thought better of it and put the ties back. "Too nerdy." She decided. Sasuke nodded. "Yeah." He agreed.

Itachi raised an eyebrow when his girlfriend...he wondered if that's what she qualified as and resolved to ask her later...walked by armed with a blow dryer, a flat iron, several hair products and an assortment of brushes. "What in the world is going on?" He asked Mikoto. "Apparently Sasuke-chan is having his first date with a girl he actually likes." Mikoto replied. "Intriguing." Itachi said. Mikoto nodded. "Sakura-chan is making sure he makes a good impression." She said. "Ah." Itachi replied. Mikoto nodded again. "It's that cute little purple haired nurse from the hospital." She said. "She _is_ cute." Itachi agreed. "I know. She'd be a lovely wife for Sasuke-chan." Mikoto gushed. Itachi rolled his eyes. "And there it is." He muttered. "Pardon?" Mikoto asked. "Nothing mother. Nothing at all. I was merely stating that I hope she doesn't try to make Sasuke look like a female." Itachi replied. "Oh I don't think she will." Mikoto said.

The Sasuke that stepped out of his room ten excruciating (Sasuke's opinion) minutes later drew awed stares. "Sakura-chan he's absolutely stunning!" Mikoto fairly shrieked. Sakura grinned. "There's not much hair care product can't do. Sasuke-kun was easy. A little product, a paddle brush, a bit of blow dryer action and viola. Instant tousled look. Karina will love it." She replied. "What's with the foundation?" Itachi asked. "Oh that. Well his skin is very fair because of the excellent genes he has to work with. I didn't add too much because I don't want him to look like a clown but I added just a little bit to give him some extra color. I blended the slightest bit of bronzer so that it would make his skin color a little more natural. It was extremely awkward spreading make-up all over my teammate's naked body. It's not something I relish repeating." Sakura said. Sasuke smirked in triumph. "At least I'm not the only one that feels that way." He replied smugly. "Ok get going on your date. You opted out of mission radios so you're on your own Romeo." Sakura retorted.

* * *

Here's Chapter five. It's short I know but I just wanted to briefly touch on the day after before I launched into another date. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	6. The Mission Everyone Hates

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter six: That Mission Everyone Hates

Characters introduced: Inuzuka Kiba, Kureiha Tenten, Nara Shikamaru

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sakura groaned angrily when the pounding on her door woke her up. "What the fuck do you want?" She screamed through the door. "You have a mission! Please report to the Hokage immediately!" The ninja replied. Sakura cursed and got in the shower. She showered and got dressed in her Anbu garb.

"You guys got called too?" Sakura asked. "Yeah. Us too." Tenten replied tiredly. "Gods the fates hate us." Inuzuka Kiba complained. "Shut up." Nara Shikamaru groaned. Sakura smiled slightly. "At least this mission will be interesting with you three assigned to my team." She chuckled. Shikamaru sighed. "I think we all agree that we were sleeping very nicely before we were rudely awakened." He said. Tenten and Kiba blushed. "Uh not exactly." The bun haired girl replied. Shikamaru chuckled and Sakura laughed. "Nice." She said. "Not really. Neither of us got to finish." Tenten blurted. Sakura laughed more. "I would say I feel your pain but I don't. Sorry. Better luck next time." She said.

"You four are escorting the daughter of a lord from another country home. She was here to learn how our political system works as well as the history of the Fire country. You have a month to escort her." Tsunade said. "Fuck. I had a date Friday." Sakura cursed. "Sorry Sakura-chan. I know you were looking forward to that date but I'm pretty sure Itachi will understand." Tsunade replied. "Yes Hokage-sama." Sakura said. The four shinobi waited for the rest of their instructions. "You'll be leaving in the morning at seven. Pack light clothes until you get up north. Then pack heavy winter clothes. Sakura is the captain for this as well as the medic. If you have a problem with that, you can be scrapped from this mission and given D-ranks until you learn the error of your ways." Tsunade said. "No problems from us." The other three ninja assured the busty blonde. "Good." Tsunade replied.

"What brings you here so late?" Itachi asked mildly. "I have a mission. I have to leave tomorrow and I have a month to complete it. I'm afraid our Friday date has been cruelly cancelled." Sakura replied. "It's ok. I too have a month-long mission. It's not too big of a mission. Just a long and tedious one." Itachi assured her softly. "Ok so we're rescheduling?" Sakura asked hopefully. "Most assuredly." Itachi replied. Sakura beamed. "Good. Now I have to go. I have to leave early." She said. "Be safe." Itachi replied. Sakura inexplicably got choked up and smiled slightly. "I will. You be safe too." She replied.

* * *

Here's Chapter five. It's short I know but I just wanted to briefly touch on the day after before I launched into another date. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	7. Simple Mission My Ass!

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter seven: Simple Mission My Ass!

Characters introduced: Kinichi Hikami

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

The four Konoha shinobi met up at the gates just as the sun was fully rising. Sakura lifted her face to the rays and smiled softly. "You know when she's bathed in light like this, I can see why Itachi likes her so much." Shikamaru said. Tenten nodded. "She's beautiful under normal circumstances. Now she's otherworldly." She agreed. The nobleman's daughter was escorted to them and Sakura sighed. 'Damn. Not her.' She thought.

"So we meet again Haruno-san. I knew fate would bring us together again. Have you thought about my offer?" The orange haired girl asked. "Hai Hikami-sama. And I must decline. I'm not at liberty to accept. I apologize and thank you for your gracious offer." Sakura replied. Hikami pouted. "I could have taken care of you for the rest of your life." She said. "I know. I would still say no." Sakura replied.

They headed out toward the frigid northern country to deliver Hikami to her cousin in Yukigakure. The orange haired girl kept shamelessly flirting and hitting on Sakura and Tenten as well until Kiba threatened to screw the bun haired woman in front of her to prove she was very much taken and no he wasn't willing to share. Sakura sighed tiredly and spent most of her time locked in her compartment on the train with Shikamaru for company. "So how are things between you and Itachi?" Shikamaru asked. "Good. We're more compatible than I thought we would be." Sakura replied. "That's good." Shikamaru said.

Sakura was rudely jolted out of a dead sleep when the train rocked from the force of an explosion. The petal haired woman jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly. "What's going on?" She demanded. "We're being attacked by enemy shinobi from Rock and Cloud." Tenten reported as she grabbed her weapons scrolls. "Fuck." Sakura summed up her feelings. "Indeed." Tenten agreed. The train was stopped while the crew fixed the damage and Sakura and Tenten joined the men outside to fight.

Sakura snarled angrily and stomped the ground, breaking it apart and unbalancing the enemy shinobi. "I was having a good dream!" She yelled as she drove her fist into a shinobi's face, crushing his skull and killing him. "Sakura behind you!" Tenten screamed a second too late. Sakura shrieked as she went down in a spray of blood and Kiba hastily created a clone to take her into the safety of the train. "Stay here." He ordered. "Hai." Sakura groaned.

"We can't stop the bleeding. You'll have to do it internally with chakra." Kiba said. "I understand." Sakura replied. She stopped the bleeding and frowned when her wound wouldn't heal. "It's not healing." Sakura said. "But there's not much you _can't_ heal. What's going on?" Kiba asked. "I don't know. Bandage me up if you can." Sakura replied. Shikamaru and Tenten bandaged her up and Sakura sighed. "I think it might have something to do with the jutsu he used on me." She said. "We'll figure it out when we get home." Shikamaru replied. Sakura nodded.

The train began to move again and Sakura lay on her stomach while they continued heading north. She continued to try to heal herself until she fell asleep from chakra loss.

* * *

Here's Chapter five. It's short I know but I just wanted to briefly touch on the day after before I launched into another date. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	8. Home Again Thank the Gods

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter Eight: Home Again Thank the Gods!

Characters introduced:

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sakura smiled happily when Konoha came into view. Her wound still wasn't closing up and she didn't know what to do about it. Her bandages were changed constantly to prevent infection so that was a plus. "Tsunade-shishou will know what to do." Sakura said confidently. "Hope so. This is worrisome." Kiba grunted as he settled the pinkette on her feet outside the Tower. Sakura smiled slightly. "I know she knows. Tsunade-shishou knows everything." She replied.

"Sakura why are you not healed?" Tsunade demanded. "I don't know Shishou. I used every drop of my chakra when I wasn't fighting to heal it but the skin won't mend and I don't know what to do about it. Kiba and the others have been changing my bandages and I have been trying to heal it when I have free time." Sakura replied. "I'll look at it. Did you get the mission complete?" Tsunade asked. "Hai Tsunade-shishou." Sakura replied. Kiba handed her the report that Sakura wrote because she was incapacitated by a simple jutsu that she was beginning to believe wasn't so simple.

Itachi paced when Sakura didn't come home. He didn't want to believe the worst but he had never known her to be tardy. "Perhaps her mission lasted a little longer than it was supposed to." Sasuke assured the other ravenette. "We'll go see if she has returned." Itachi replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he caught sight of Sakura's back. "What happened?" He cried. "I was attacked by a rogue shinobi group out of Lightning. I don't know what's wrong with my back." Sakura replied. Her knees buckled, making her widen her eyes. "Sakura!" Kiba yelped as he caught the pinkette. "I don't feel so well." Sakura said weakly. Tsunade motioned for the dog ninja to place her on the desk. "Let me see." She ordered. Kiba obeyed and Tsunade sent her chakra through Sakura's body. "No wonder." She said softly. "What?" Sasuke demanded. "It's a special jutsu. The chakra converts healing chakra into battle chakra so every time Sakura tried to heal herself, she ended up doing more damage than good." Tsunade replied. Sakura scoffed. "I should have known. I studied that specialty when I began my studies." She said.

"Well now that we know what's wrong, I can begin the healing and extraction process." Tsunade said. Sakura sighed. "Thank you Shishou." She yawned. "It's probably best if you sleep through it. I'll have to extract your chakra bit by bit and separate them into healing and battle chakra. It'll be an uncomfortable process." Tsunade said. Sakura nodded and drifted off obediently since she was exhausted anyway.

"Will she be alright?" Itachi asked sharply. "Yes. Her chakra systems are confused right now. Get the hell out and let me work. I'll summon you when I'm done." Tsunade snapped in response. The room vacated of shinobi and the blonde sighed. "I hope it's not too late." She said as she began the extraction process first.

Shizune came in silently with two bowls. The first had water and so did the second. In the first bowl, Tsunade placed the extracted chakra. Shizune separated the two chakra patterns and placed the healing chakra into the second bowl. The water helped keep it from dissipating so it could go back to Sakura's body. Tsunade smiled thankfully and the two kunoichi worked in silence.

Tsunade took the separated healing chakra and placed it back in Sakura's body so that it would heal her wound slowly as the two other kunoichi worked in tandem to separate it and give it back.

Sakura slept obliviously not knowing that her life hung in the balance.

* * *

Here's Chapter Eight. It's short I know but I just wanted to briefly touch on the days after before I launched into another date. I also ask that you go review my new story Begin Again. It's a SakuDei and I think you'll enjoy it if you like this one. R&R.


	9. The Road to Recovery

This is an Ita/Saku. Sasuke is NOT the enemy in this fic. He doesn't even hate the idea of his brother and his teammate together!

This is rated T for now. I will change the rating later perhaps. Or I might not at all. Who knows.

Chapter Nine: Road to Recovery

Characters introduced:

Rated T for violence.

I DON'T OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! R&R ^_^ Please?

* * *

Sakura woke up to the darkness. "Your chakra systems have been reset." Shizune said tiredly. "Thank you. Where's Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked. "Asleep. I volunteered to stay up until you awoke. If you had slept through the night, I would have gone to bed as well. You'll be moved to this hospital tomorrow for monitoring then if you're clear you'll be released day after tomorrow. I know you don't like the idea of being a patient but Tsunade-sama insisted." Shizune yawned. "Go to bed Shizune. I'm going back to sleep anyway. Even though I didn't do any of the work, I'm exhausted too." Sakura said. Shizune nodded and headed off obediently.

Sakura opened her eyes when she felt someone's chakra enter Hokage Tower. Slowly, the pinkette sat up and reached for her kunai holster on the floor. "Relax. It's just me and Teme." Naruto whispered. Sakura relaxed and laid back down slowly. "If Tsunade-shishou were awake, she'd kick the shit out of you." She whispered back. Naruto grinned and shrugged. "We came to see you because Teme's brother won't relax until he knows you're alright." He replied sheepishly.

Sasuke snorted softly. "_I_ came because I was concerned about you. The dobe came because Itachi is being an absolute monster at home." He replied primly. Sakura smiled. "Tell Itachi that I'm fine. I'll be checked into the hospital for 24-hour observation and if everything's fine, I'll be released the day after tomorrow. He's welcome to see me at the hospital." She said. "Will do Sakura. Get better ne? Itachi is a tyrant and is upsetting ka-chan. Tousa isn't bothered because Itachi leaves him alone and he returns the favor." Sasuke replied. Sakura smiled again and gave each male a hug. "Give Itachi a hug for me." She said. "Ok." Sasuke replied.

The two male shinobi departed and Sakura closed her eyes again. She woke up again when she felt another chakra signature enter the tower. "This is getting annoying. Doesn't anyone know the damned rules for sneaking into a sleeping person's quarters at night?" Sakura snapped softly. "I had to see for myself if Sasuke was speaking the truth." Itachi said quietly. Sakura smiled in the dark. "I'm fine. I just need to spend a day under observation." She replied. Itachi nodded and leaned down until he was face to face with her. "Do not think this is an excuse to ditch our second date." He said solemnly. Sakura gaped for a second before laughing softly. "I would never do that Itachi. I like going out with you." She replied after a few seconds. "Good. I will visit you tomorrow." Itachi said with a smile just for her. Sakura leaned up and kissed him. "I look forward to it." She replied before turning over and going back to sleep.

Itachi left her to sleep and left before Tsunade-sama woke up and punted him out of the building with chakra.

* * *

Here's Chapter Nine. R&R.


End file.
